As used herein, ceramic greenware, or more briefly greenware, refers to bodies comprised of ceramic-forming components that, upon firing at high temperature, form ceramic bodies. The greenware may include ceramic components, such as a mixture of various ceramic-forming components and a ceramic component. The various components can be mixed together with a liquid vehicle, such as water or glycol, and extruded with a formed shape, such as a honeycomb body. Immediately after extrusion, the greenware possesses some liquid content, such as water content, and typically at least some of the liquid must be removed, i.e. the greenware must be dried, prior to firing at high temperature that forms a refractory material.
The drying process must be carried out in a manner that does not cause defects (e.g., a change in shape, cracks, etc.) to the greenware. Such defects tend to occur when the greenware is overheated during drying.